The present invention relates to a camera, and particularly to a camera having a barrier movable along a rail mechanism between a position over a photographing lens and a position retreated from the photographing lens.
A compact camera having a barrier movable along a rail mechanism has been conventionally known. The purpose of the barrier is to protect the optical system, such as the photographing lens and the finder, when the camera is carried, and to cover the projecting portion to make the camera compact.
A number of camera makers have proposed a type of camera which has a barrier capable of simply moving linearly along a rail, a so-called xe2x80x9cfull barrierxe2x80x9d.
Further, a camera having a barrier, called xe2x80x9ca flat barrierxe2x80x9d, is known as a more compact camera. The barrier of this type is movable along a rail mechanism also in a direction substantially parallel to the optical axis of the photographing lens, so that the front surface of the camera is flat when the barrier is closed.
For example, Jpn. UM Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 58-163938 discloses a camera which achieves the aforementioned objects by means of a barrier movable along a rail mechanism not only in the horizontal direction but also in the direction substantially parallel to the optical axis of the photographing lens.
The conventional camera of this type has a structure in which a barrier rail branches in the horizontal direction in front of the camera. While the barrier is traveling, a plurality of pins (claws) of the barrier are slid along the rail.
With the barrier rail having the basic structure described above, however, when the user is to manually slide the barrier, a pin of the barrier may be removed from a predetermined route of the rail while sliding, particularly, at a branch point of the rail. Otherwise, the pin may erroneously enter into another route. Thus, the barrier is easily caught in the rail.
In this state, even if the user simply continues the manual operation, the barrier cannot be moved successfully.
In this case, the user must first remove the barrier from the caught position by, for example, returning the barrier in the opposite direction, and then try to move it in the forward direction.
The conventional camera as described above has a problem in operation that the barrier cannot be moved successfully in only a single smooth operation.
The present invention has been made to overcome the problem of the conventional art as described above, and an object of the present invention is to provide a camera having a compact and simple rail mechanism which can realize a successful barrier slide operation by a single smooth operation.
To achieve the above object, according to a first embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a camera comprising:
a camera body including a photographing lens;
a barrier supported on the camera body so as to be movable between a cover position covering the photographing lens and a retreat position retreated from the cover position in a first direction substantially parallel to an optical axis of the photographing lens and a second direction substantially perpendicular to the first direction; and
a rail mechanism for guiding relative movement between the camera body and the barrier in the first and the second directions of the barrier,
the rail mechanism comprising:
a first slide projection having a predetermined projecting length for guiding movement of the barrier;
a second slide projection, having a projecting length longer than the first slide projection, for guiding movement of the barrier;
first cam means, slidably engaged with the first and the second slide projections, for guiding movement of the barrier in the second direction; and
second cam means, branched from the first cam means and slidably engaged with only the first slide projection, for guiding movement of the barrier in the first direction.
According to another embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a camera comprising:
a camera body including a photographing lens and a rail formed of a shallow groove and a deep groove connected to each other;
a barrier supported on the camera body so as to be movable along the rail between a cover position covering the photographing lens and a retreat position retreated from the cover position;
a long projection provided on the barrier so as to be slidable along the rail and engageable with only the deep groove;
a short projection provided on the barrier so as to be engageable with both the deep groove and the shallow groove; and
urging means, elastically deformed when one of both ends of the barrier along a direction of movement of the barrier is brought into contact with the camera body, for urging the barrier so that the short projection can be inserted and removed from the shallow groove.
According to still another embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a camera comprising:
a camera body including a photographing lens;
a barrier supported on the camera body so as to be movable between a cover position covering the photographing lens and a retreat position retreated from the cover position in a first direction substantially parallel to an optical axis of the photographing lens and a second direction substantially perpendicular to the first direction;
a first slide projection having a short length formed on the barrier;
a second slide projection having a long length formed on the barrier; and
a rail for guiding movement of the barrier,
the rail comprising:
a common rail portion formed in the camera body, engaged in common with the first and the second slide projections, when the barrier is moved;
a first rail portion branched from a middle portion of the common rail portion and engaged with only the first slide projection; and
a second rail portion continuous to the common rail portion in a region where only the second slide projection can move, and engaged with the second slide projection.
According to a further embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a camera comprising:
a camera body including a photographing lens;
a movable barrier movable between a first position covering a front of the photographing lens, where the movable barrier and a front surface of the camera body are substantially on a same plane, and a second position retreated from the front of the photographing lens and projected from the front surface of the camera body to expose the photographing lens;
a long pin and a short pin, arranged in line with an axis of movement of the movable barrier and crossing an optical axis of the photographing lens, the long pin being closer to the photographing lens than the short pin;
a first cam groove, engaged with the long pin and bent so that the movable barrier comes closer to the photographing lens via the long pin, when the movable barrier moves from the second position to the first position;
a contact portion brought into contact with a distal end portion of the movable barrier when the movable barrier approaches the first position along the first cam groove;
a second cam groove, shallower than the first cam groove and branched from the first cam groove, for guiding the short pin together with the long pin engaged with the first cam groove, so that the movable barrier can be positioned at the first position.
According to a still further embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a camera comprising:
a camera body including a photographing lens;
a movable barrier movable between a first position covering a front of the photographing lens, where the movable barrier and a front surface of the camera body form a substantially flat surface, and a second position retreated from the front of the photographing lens and projected from the front surface of the camera body to expose the photographing lens;
a guide surface for guiding side surfaces of the movable barrier;
a cam groove bent so that the movable barrier is movable with respect to the guide surface between the first position and the second position;
a long pin and a short pin, engaged with the cam groove and arranged in line with an axis of movement of the movable barrier, the long pin being closer to the photographing lens in the axis of movement of the movable barrier; and
a contact portion brought into contact with a distal end portion of the movable barrier when the movable barrier moves from the second position to the first position;
wherein the cam groove comprises:
a first groove portion engaged with the long pin, when the movable barrier moves from the second position to the first position; and
a second groove portion, having a depth smaller than a length of the long pin and branched from the first groove portion, provided to be engaged with the short pin when the movable barrier is brought into contact with the contact portion.
Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and obtained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims.